Shabbos in a Box – Shabbos Support in the Hospital
Everything a Jewish patient or family needs to bring Shabbos into the hospital with dignity and warmth.
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What Is “Shabbos in a Box”?
Shabbos in a Box is a kit prepared by Chesed 24/7 and delivered to Jewish patients and families spending Shabbos in the hospital. Each Shabbos box includes basic Shabbos items so that even in a medical crisis, Shabbos can still feel like Shabbos.
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Why Shabbos in a Box Matters
Shabbos in the hospital can feel lonely
When someone is hospitalized for Shabbos, families often feel cut off from their community and home, surrounded by machines and bright hospital lights instead of the familiar Shabbos table. It tells patients and families: “You are not forgotten. Klal Yisroel is with you.”
Families still want to honor Shabbos properly
Even while facing illness, many families deeply want to keep Shabbos—saying Kiddush, having lechem mishneh, and experiencing the kedusha of the day as fully as possible.
Hospitals don’t supply Shabbos items
Hospitals aren’t equipped to provide challah covers, grape juice, candles, bentchers, or Shabbos-appropriate items, making it difficult for families to observe the day without outside help.
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What’s Inside a Shabbos in a Box Kit?
Each Shabbos in a Box provides all the essentials to observe Shabbos in the hospital, offering comfort, dignity, and continuity during a medical stay. It's packed in a neat, easy-to-carry box so it can be brought to the patient’s room or family area, and includes:
- A decorated disposable tablecloth, adding a festive touch to the hospital table
- Hospital-approved electric candles and a tray
- A small bottle of grape juice
- A Kiddush cup (becher)
- A challah cover for Shabbos or Yom Tov
- A small vase with a flower, bringing warmth and beauty into the hospital room
- Mint candies
- A personalized Refuah Shleimah card for the patient
The Shabbos in a Box program ensures that even in times of crisis, families can experience the warmth, structure, and peace that Shabbos brings.
How to Request a Shabbos in a Box
If you or someone you know will be in the hospital over Shabbos, contact Chesed 24/7 by Thursday evening to request a Shabbos box:
Phone: 845-354-3233
Shabbos in a Box kits are also kept in the Chesed 24/7 rooms within participating hospitals and are easily accessible.
How Your Donation Supports Shabbos in a Box
Every Shabbos in a Box represents many hidden costs:
- Purchasing grape juice and ready-to-eat Shabbos essentials
- Transport and volunteer coordination
- Extra costs before Yomim Tovim when demand is very high
Your support enables:
- Patients to say Kiddush with proper kavod
- Parents at a child’s bedside to feel the sweetness of Shabbos
- Families to keep Shabbos in the hospital without worry or embarrassment
Donation Impact Examples
- $36 – Sponsors a basic Shabbos in a Box for one patient or family
- $72 – Provides enhanced Shabbos support for a patient and caregiver
- $180 – Supplies Shabbos boxes on a hospital unit floor
- $540 – Supports Shabbos in a Box in multiple hospitals on one Shabbos
- $1,800 – Sponsors Shabbos in a Box for an entire month across many patients
A small box can turn an empty hospital room into a Shabbos table. Your donation makes that happen.
Who Are Shabbos-in-a-Box For?
Patients
who must remain hospitalized over Shabbos
Parents
of children in pediatrics or NICU
Spouses and relatives
staying near a loved one
Families stuck far from home
who did not plan to be in the hospital
Out-of-town visitors
who had to rush in for emergency care
Support the Shabbos in a Box Program
For a family alone in the hospital on Shabbos, a simple box can mean:
- Kiddush said with kavod
- Lechem mishneh on the “table” by the hospital bed
- A moment of kedusha in the middle of illness
Where Shabbos in a Box Is Available
New York City
Brooklyn
Long Island
Manhattan
Northern New Jersey (Bergen & Passaic)
Orange County
Queens
Rockland County
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Chesed 24/7 also runs Yom Tov Essentials for hospitals (separate program, with its own needs and supplies).
Yes. Many people sponsor boxes as a zechus for a refuah sheleima, in memory of a loved one, or in honor of a simcha.
For those arriving unexpectedly close to Shabbos, every Chesed room is stocked with extra kits, ensuring no one misses out on the Shabbos experience.
Each Shabbos in a Box kit is adapted to follow hospital policies. In locations where open flames aren’t permitted, the kit includes electric, hospital-safe candles so patients can still enjoy the Shabbos ambiance safely.
No. The kit is provided free of charge, funded by generous donors.
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